Once you have added either a networked or a USB printer to your Windows PC, you can usually begin sending documents to print. Though, on occasions, the print command may create an error on the Printer and take it offline, resulting in future jobs from printing being stopped. To take down this issue, one needs to change the Printer’s settings from offline to online. In this post, I will guide you on how to change a printer status online in Windows 11/10.
How to Change a Printer Status to Online in Windows
While keeping the Printer set offline may have some advantages, there could be certain instances wherein keeping the Printer online at the moment may be necessary. Here’s a list of the methods which could be done to turn the printer back online.
- Plug the Printer Back In
- Change Printer Status
- Troubleshoot Printer
- Reset the Printer
Clearing the print queue and checking the status after following each method could result in letting you know whether it’s back online.
1] Plug the Printer Back In
Please switch off the power source, plug out the power adapter and the USB cable from the Printer, let it stay idle for a minute, and plug it back in. Loose connections may be the issue where Windows may not detect the Printer and turn its status offline.
However, if the connections are all right, keeping the Printer plugged in and idle for some time may put a few printers into sleep/power-saving mode; replugging the power cable may turn out to be the simplest solution to the problem.
2] Change Printer’s Status to Online
For any reason that might have occurred, your Printer may have gone offline, or you might have turned it accidentally. Here’s how to turn it back to Online using the Settings Panel.
- Open the Settings Panel in Windows 11/10 (Win+I)
- Navigate to Devices > Printers and Scanners. Under the same menu, search for your Printer, select it and choose the Open Queue button.
- In the print queue window, from the top navigation bar, Under the Printer options menu, you’ll find an option with Use Printer Offline turned on. Click on it to bring the Printer back to the Online state.
- Give the confirmation from the pop-up that appears on the screen, and you’re good to go.
3] Troubleshoot Printer
Windows comes with a variety of built-in tools, such as a Troubleshooter, which could quickly fix many common issues. Here’s how to use the troubleshooter to turn the status back online.
In Windows 10
- Open the Settings Panel in Windows 11/10 (Win+I)
- Navigate to Update and Security -> Troubleshoot -> Additional Troubleshooters.
- Select the Printer Troubleshooter, and click on the Run Troubleshooter button.
- Wait for Windows to find the issue and resolve it, and then you’re ready to print.
In Windows 11:
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printer & scanners
- Select the Printer and then click on the Run the troubleshooter link
- It will launch the wizard and report if there is a problem found.
- Click to fix, and it should resolve the problem
4] Reset the Printer
Removing the Printer’s drivers and re-installing them could solve many common issues. If none of the above methods has turned out to be working in your scenario, do give this a shot.
- Firstly, unplug the printer’s USB cable from the PC.
- Open the Settings Panel in Windows (Win + I)
- Head over to Devices > Printers and Scanners or Bluetooth & devices > Printers and scanners Under the same menu, search for your Printer, select it, and choose the Remove Device button.
- It shall remove the Printer entirely from your device. Now plug the device back in and wait for Windows to install the required drivers automatically.
Sometimes when you install or update the printer driver, it does not work correctly for some reason, and the only way is to remove the printer driver, which was installed before, and install it fresh. There are one or two ways to do that, depending on which works for you nicely. Read more to know in detail how to remove the Printer’s Drivers entirely and then download the Printer Driver on Windows 11/10.
I hope this post was helpful, and you were able to change the Printer’s status back to online. With that said, Do you prefer keeping your Printer offline? If yes, why? Do drop a comment down below.
The Printer Is Always Offline by Default. What Do I Do?
If your printer cannot interface with your PC, it may appear to be offline. One possible solution to this could be to verify that your printer is on and linked to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer and the connections are done right. You may also check your printer’s handbook for further information.
What Are Some Reasons a Printer Might Keep Going Offline?
Your printer might be switched off, there could be a problem with the communication cord, the printer could be wrongly set up, or your PC could have the wrong drivers loaded, to name a few possibilities.
How Do I Check My Printer Ink Levels With Windows?
This procedure differs from one manufacturer to the next. Download and install the manufacturer’s printer hub program after your printer is connected and online, and you should be able to check the ink levels of your printer toner with Windows.
